Each Family May Have Schizophrenia In Its Own Way

Schizophrenia runs in families, but scientists have been stymied in their efforts to nail down genetic changes that could be causing the often devastating mental illness.

By zeroing in on just one pathway in the brain, scientists say they’ve found genetic variations that are shared in families, and tend to cause specific symptoms.

Though scientists have known for decades that schizophrenia is often hereditary, they haven’t been able to find one gene that causes it. Instead, they now think that it’s caused by lots of genetic variations, and that not everyone with the disease has the same ones. It’s as if people are being dealt cards from multiple decks, and the rules of the game are different for each person.

Some scientists have tried to solve this mystery by looking at all the cards in the deck, scanning the genes of large groups of people to look for clues. Others take a more tightly focused approach, picking one suit, or even one hand, to examine very closely.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins took the focused approach. They looked at genes controlling one pathway in the brain, called the neuregulin signaling pathway, and scanned those genes in 123 families with a history of schizophrenia. Some families did have many more variations in their neuregulin genes. And the people in those families who had schizophrenia were more likely to have hallucinations, one symptom of the disease.

By contrast, other families didn’t have neuregulin gene variations. And their family members with schizophrenia had different symptoms. They had more cognitive impairment, but fewer hallucinations.

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Schizophrenia CME Activities

Provided by
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
In collaboration with
Haymarket Medical Education
In partnership with
Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America (SARDAA)*

Provided by
University of Cincinnati
In collaboration with
Haymarket Medical Education
In partnership with
Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America (SARDAA)*

*Note: The opinions expressed in these educational activities are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of SARDAA.